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While many of us have established solid skin-care routines for our face and body, nails and cuticles often fall by the wayside. However, cuticles can become dry and brittle as the weather gets cooler due to colder temperatures and dry air. Enter cuticle oils and creams, which we’ll break down further below.
What are cuticles?
Put simply, cuticles are thin layers of dead skin that grow around the edges of your fingers and toenails. And while we often think of dead skin as a problem, cuticles are beneficial since they provide a barrier of protection against things like bacteria, dirt, fungus, and other potentially harmful substances, which can then enter the nail and cause infections.
What does cuticle oil do?
Formulated with moisturizing ingredients, the best cuticle oils and creams act as a protective barrier, helping to prevent tearing, peeling, or splitting—ultimately resulting in potentially painful hangnails.
Additionally, not only do these products provide nourishment and hydration, but they can also help extend the lifespan of your manicure by preventing polish from lifting and chipping. Similarly, they may help smooth the surface of your nail(s), making it easier for gel polish to stick to.
What are cuticle oils made of?
Cuticle oils are specifically formulated to nourish the nail bed—and while specific ingredients vary depending on the product, you can almost always expect a combination of botanical oils and vitamins. With that in mind, it makes sense that the best cuticle oils on the market are spiked with hydrating ingredients that actually sink into the skin as opposed to simply sitting on top of it. These include jojoba and apricot oils, as well as shea butter and vitamin E, to name a few.
How to apply cuticle oil
Cuticle oils and creams are relatively easy to apply: A few drops or just a tiny amount of product is all you need. Some of our top picks feature attached foam-tip or brush applicators for ease of use. Bonus points if you take an extra few seconds to massage the oil or cream into the nailbed.
The best cuticle oils to stock up on, STAT
While French beauty brand L’Occitane is most famous for its hand creams, you won’t want to sleep on this nail and cuticle oil. Its nourishing formula features 30% shea oil as well as apricot and almond oils, all of which work together to soften cuticles. Bonus: Not only is it vegan, but it’s also paraben- and phthalate-free.
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This fast-acting, non-sticky cuticle oil from beloved nail polish brand OPI is packed with botanicals to simultaneously soften, protect, and soothe. Ingredient highlights include antibacterial tea tree extract, anti-inflammatory aloe vera, fatty acid-loaded sunflower seed oil, antioxidant-rich green tea extract, moisturizing castor oil, and hydrating vitamin E.
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Bid dry, cracked cuticles goodbye once and for all with this restorative cuticle cream from Deborah Lippman. The rich cream contains powerful ingredients to help repair and relieve dryness, including conditioning shea butter, nourishing red algae, and vitamins A, C, and E.
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Flowery’s Cuticle Butter is formulated with dry, delicate cuticles and nails in mind. That’s because it features several ingredients—including fatty acid-spiked staples like macadamia oil, candlenut, and evening primrose— to promote nail growth, strengthen, and hydrate. Plus, its mess-free pen formulation makes it ideal for on-the-go use.
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This cuticle serum from Olive & June stands out for its convenient pen format, which comes complete with a soft foam tip that allows for precise application. Despite how hydrating its formula is—courtesy of vitamin-, fatty acid-, and antioxidant-packed botanical oils like sunflower, jojoba, and apricot —it’s both non-greasy, fast-absorbing, and ultra-lightweight, so much so that you may even forget you have it on.
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The aptly named Kur Nourishing Cuticle Oil was specially formulated with dry cuticles in mind—and just a few drops of this weightless oil can make a world of a difference. It features deeply moisturizing key ingredients such as jojoba and sweet almond oils, as well as the brand’s signature Nourishing Florium Complex—a proprietary blend of rapeseed flower oil, cucumber extract, garlic extract, evening primrose oil, chamomile extract, and vitamin E.
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Developed specifically for damaged cuticles, this non-greasy elixir is chock-full of nourishing staples. Its hero ingredient, rose flower oil, is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, helping to soothe skin and banish redness. Moisturizing and hydrating staples such as moisturizing jojoba, argan, pomegranate, sweet almond, and hemp seed oils round out the formula.
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This cuticle oil is a favorite for its controlled, mess-free, roll-on application. Despite how hydrating it is, it’s surprisingly fast-absorbing—read: no greasy residue—and lightweight. Its formula features 97% natural ingredients, including ultra-nourishing apricot kernel and jojoba oils.
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This easy-to-apply balm formulation from Badger is made with East African shea butter to soothe and nourish dry, split cuticles. It also offers a blend of moisturizing essential oils such as geranium, mandarin, lemongrass, and ginger, which, as a bonus, provides a mild and refreshing citrus scent.
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At under $5 per bottle, this conditioning cuticle cream from beloved drugstore brand Sally Hansen is a total steal. Its fast-absorbing, ultra-moisturizing formula is rich in emollients such as shea butter and apricot oil. Plus, a little goes a long way, which means the bottle will last for weeks—if not months—to come.
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This cuticle cream from Dermelect stands out for its innovative formulation, which features a peptide extracted from—get this—sheep’s wool from New Zealand—to help restore delicate, dry cuticles and nails. Rounding out the formula are tried-and-true staples such as hyaluronic acid, green tea, shea butter, and several vitamins (A, C, and E).
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Remove dry, overgrown cuticles within minutes—that is, sans any pain or clipping required—using butter LONDON’s aptly named Melt Away Cuticle Exfoliator. Its star ingredient, Irish moss (aka sea moss), is rich in vitamins A and K to promote strong, healthy nails and cuticles. Carrageenan extract—derived from red seaweed—offers a hefty dose of moisturization, too.
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Once you’ve stocked up on cuticle creams, check out our favorite nail kits for easy, fuss-free at-home manicures!
